Karl took a moment to check the location of the quest objective, hoping that the System would give him some sort of hint. But it only gave a direction, with no distance.
That wasn’t going to help much. All he could do was follow the general direction and hope that it wasn’t too far.
There was no time limit on the quest, he just had to find the perfect pet. Karl wasn’t even certain that such a thing existed, but if it did, he would certainly go looking for it.
Not just for the power, but because he wanted to know what the system thought was the absolute peak pet for him. It was likely something so impressive that he had never considered it on his own, but the method of taming it was unlikely to be an easy one.
He was imagining what it would take to tame a dragon when the kids began to surround him, demanding that he bring Thor back out to be a climbing obstacle for them.
The older Elves had no idea what a Thor was, but when Karl called him out, they seemed enthralled with the strange Cerro.
“I have never seen anything like that before.” The Mayor noted.
“He has been evolving as he grows in power. A normal Lightning Cerro where I’m from doesn’t get this powerful. It’s my class that is helping him grow. But he came across a holy resource and it helped him learn new skills.
A Lightning Cerro that can use a Circle of Protection is unheard of, at least in my homeland. So, he’s one of a kind. Now that he’s begun to change, I think that he’s got even more advancement potential ahead of him, and he won’t get stuck at this level.
Some of the others had more potential from the start, so I’m not too worried about them, but I’ve got a Naga Spirit Snake who is about to hit the advancement bottleneck.”
The Mayor nodded. “So, she will have to decide if she’s going to stunt her powers and remain a snake, or if she will evolve in a different direction. What is her class now?”
“Naga Spirit Snake Shaman Princess”
A number of the Elves turned to stare at him.
“Did you say that you have a Naga Princess with you? A Shaman Princess?” One of them asked.
[Remi, come out and say hello.]
She appeared on Karl’s shoulders, so nobody attacked her, and bobbed her head happily as the Elves smiled at her.
“She’s beautiful. I’ve never seen one so young that they hadn’t evolved yet. How did you get her?”
In Karl’s mind, Hawk laughed, while beside him Remi turned to headbutt his cheek.
[Don’t embarrass me. They think I’m cute.] Remi insisted.
Karl smiled at the Elves. “I got her as an egg from a Dungeon. There was a Naga Shaman and a Naga King boss, and the egg was among the items piled around the boss platform.
One of my other beasts rescued the egg, and shortly after, Remi hatched. She’s got a real gift for elemental magic.”
“So, she’s been with you her whole life? That explains her tame personality.” One of the women realized.
“No, Remi is just a friendly smol snake. She has always wanted to make friends who know new and interesting things, as opposed to Thor, who wants friends to play with. The class doesn’t change their personality. They all still have their own minds, but they have someone who understands them and can translate, so they’re no longer left alone and misunderstood.”
The Elves had some doubts about the friendly small snake part of the explanation, as she was clearly a three-metre-long venomous spirit snake, and there were no truly friendly venomous species. But the rest they would accept as a quirk of the system.
An aging Elven woman with bright silver hair stared at Remi and cradled her fingers under her chin.
The two stared at each other, both trying to learn something about the other.
The proximity was making the others nervous, but the kids weren’t scared of Remi, as she had been on Thor’s back early in their trip.
“Well, she could go the storm snake route, but she would lose most of the powers she has now. Storm Snakes can’t be shamans, after all.
But if she goes the Naga Shaman route, she won’t have as easy of a time doing the adorable act. Naga shamans are considerably larger than average humans, and it is hard for them to act cutesy.” She explained.
Remi’s sad expression made a number of the Elves coo at her, like you would with a sad child. They understood her much better than humans did. Most humans didn’t even understand her basic mood, much less what she needed to feel better.
“There is one more option. She could try to focus on her Royal Lineage. She could become a Naga Queen. They have many powers as well, and they’re slightly smaller than Shamans.
But more importantly, a Naga Queen can change back into a Spirit Snake when she wants.
They usually use it as an ambush technique, but if she wants to use it to be cute, that’s an option as well.”
Now all of the beasts were laughing at Remi’s expense. You couldn’t choose your progression path just because it let you be cute. The whole point of evolving was to become more powerful so that you could defeat the enemies that would come your way.
Remi was already behind the rest due to her youth and slow growth.
Karl thought about the options. “I take it that the Queens are the most powerful, on a raw power level, but not among the usual group of combatants?”
The Elf nodded. “Most of them remain home with their broods, as they are the only ones that can make the whole variety of Naga Eggs that a clutch will need. The others can only make baby versions of themselves.”
[But does it come with a new hat?] Remi asked.
She hadn’t made a new crown in a while, but she had good materials in her swamp for one.
[I think it can come with a new hat. Or I can get you one.]
“You seem distracted.” The Mayor noted.
“Remi was wondering if the Queen position comes with a new hat. She doesn’t always come out decorated, since it’s hard to make anything stay on a snake’s body, but she’s a big fan of bling.” Karl explained.
The nearby Elves chuckled at the explanation, and the eager look that Remi was giving them.
“Well, I don’t know if a crown is part of their skills, as Naga Queens usually wear many gold necklaces instead. But if anyone had the right to wear a crown, it would be them.”
That settled it. Remi had to look into becoming a Naga Queen. It would be the best of everything. New powers, still being a cute snake, and a crown.
What more could a girl ask for?
“I suppose that we just need to find her some information on the topic. She’s been with me her whole life, so we don’t have all the information that a regular Naga Queen would have grown up with.” Karl sighed.
“Why not ask the Nature Gods? Not the Green Dragon, the Storm Gods. They govern shamans, so they should know how to get a Shaman Princess to evolve.” One of the Priests suggested.
“Oh, that is a wonderful idea. There is a temple nearby. You can go pray there and ask them in person. They shouldn’t ignore a devoted Royal Adherent. Especially as they are Beast Gods.”
